


My Jolly Sailor Bold

by orphan_account



Category: Bandom, Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: 18th Century, Boats and Ships, M/M, Sailor AU, Sexual Content, Sirens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-21
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Victor Fuentes is a sailor for a small independent shipping company in 18th century Mexico that renounces all myths and legends of the seas. Though he eventually finds himself tempted by the beauty of one of the most deadly creatures of the sea: the siren.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The life of a sailor was often one associated with solitude and danger.

The sea was far from a safe place. There were many tales that scared sailors into wanting to pursue a life at sea. There were tales of ships sinking, bringing down the entire crew. There were tales of the winds failing, thus blowing a ship far off course and causing the crew to starve at sea. There were tales of deadly and hungry mermaids, mermaids who would attack unsuspecting sailors and eat them whole. There were tales of the sirens. The sirens were interesting. Much like the mermaids, they would lure in unsuspecting sailors. The sailors would fall in love with the beautiful voice and hope that the face would be just as beautiful. The sailors would pursue the voice and thus crash their ship. The sirens did not due this because they intended to eat the sailors, unlike the mermaids. They would often do it for mere personal amusement, or perhaps to pillage the supplies on the ship. Either way, the siren was a very deadly and a very cruel creature. While mermaids were more than likely a made up fantasy, sirens were very real and very dangerous.  
Victor Fuentes had fortunately never had a run-in with any of the dangers of sea. Because of this, he still loved the sea. Victor, or Vic, and his brother Michael co-ran a small shipping business. They were born and raised in Mexico, a key colony for the Spanish Empire. They were raised by a father who was a part of a large shipping business. He was constantly traveling back and forth from Veracruz, the port city where the brother still resided, back to Spain. It was a very lucrative business, one that was key to the success of the Spanish Empire. Vic had admired his father’s work for as long as he remembered. The sea had always called to him. He knew that when he was older, he wanted to follow in his father’s business and pursue the life of a sailor.

However, one day, Vic’s father never returned from a trip. He had taken the trip to Spain several times, he returned safely each time. The Fuentes family could not fathom how this could happen. But one small boat came back from Spain a few months later, with one member of the original crew on it. He told a tale of how he narrowly survived shipwreck. The ship allegedly crashed due to the entire crew being lured in by the beautiful voice of a siren. One single siren was able to take down an entire shipping boat full of gold and goods. One single siren was able to cost the life of Vic’s father. Vic did not renounce the life of a sailor though. Because of his father’s failing, he felt even more powered to want to pursue it. He wanted to prove that he could do it, that he could do it better than his father as well. That he would not succumb to any siren, no matter how beautiful her voice sounded or what she promised him. He wasn’t going to let the beauty of the Seven Seas be tainted by a pretty voice with a deadly cause.

Vic’s mother naturally began to worry. She did not want to lose her son like she had lost her husband. As much as Vic wanted to do as he pleased anyway, he did not want to upset his aging mother. She was a widow and she needed to be cared for in her old age. To ease her nerves, Vic decided he would start small while she was still alive. He did not want to be too far away either, in case she needed him or his brother, who also expressed interest in a life at sea. The two brothers opted to start a small shipping and transportation business. They saved up all they had and were able to purchase a small boat. It was small indeed, nothing compared to the grand ship that their father had been on. But it was enough to get the job done. They began an independent good transportation service along the coast of Mexico, transporting various goods between the port cities. They were quickly becoming a successful business with expansion along the horizon. While it initially had been the two of them, they recruited the help of two young men. Tony Perry, a family friend of the Fuentes family for years, and Jaime Preciado, a young boy with too much enthusiasm and optimism. The four young men formed a rather intimate friendship and bond, which was helpful to have when at sea. It took care of the loneliness that the sea often created. And it made the sounds and mysteries of the sea, whether they be caused by the imagination or actual reality, all the less tempting. Vic’s ship was not succumbing to any sirens ever. Not while he was captain.

 

 

“Land in sight.”

Vic had been reviewing a map of Mexico in the cabin of the ship as he heard Tony’s voice. He climbed up the steps onto the small deck and glanced to see they were approaching Tampico, a city that they frequently traveled to. Port cities in Mexico were still a fairly new concept, so they tended to do most of their traveling to the same cities. This was not necessarily a bad thing, business was business. Though Vic found himself yearning for new sights to see, new cities, new markets, anything new. But he knew that he had to think of the business first before his own naïve desires. He had a mother to support, as well as a little brother and growing crew to care for. He squinted to see the city rapidly approaching, as well as a figure waiting on the dock. He assumed that was the customer.

“Prepare for docking.” Vic instructed the small crew as everyone immediately scrambled to do their assigned job. Jaime moved over to drop the anchor once they approached the dock, Mike grabbed the rope and tied the ship to the dock, and Tony went to prepare the goods that they would be dropping off in Tampico. Vic supervised all of this, as per usual. He more so marveled at how efficient his small crew was. He had heard of huge ships with crews of fifty men having a hard time docking. And here his crew was, on a tiny ship, docking in mere minutes. Vic felt truly blessed to have such an excellent crew.

Tony began to stack several crates on the dock. Vic and the others helped him, though Vic stopped once he heard his name called. He glanced over his shoulder and saw what he presumed to be the customer from before. He had been right. Gabe Barham was waiting for Vic at the dock. Gabe was one of the frequent customers that Vic dealt with. He ran a small inn for sailors and travelers that would stop in the city to spend the night. He recently moved from Spain to pursue the promise of a better life that the New World offered and enticed.

“Right on time, as always.” Gabe complimented Vic with a smile. Vic smiled back, watching as Jaime placed the last crate on top of the small pile.

“We aim for efficiency.” Vic said proudly. “I do believe this is all that you ordered. How are sales going?”

“Great. Tampico is becoming quite the city. We have up to ten ships coming in every day. And my promise of a warm bed and hot food is becoming all the more enticing. Sophia is cooking for up to twenty men a night.” Gabe said proudly, clearly pleased with how well his inn was doing.

“Very pleased to hear, sir. Now if you would be so kind as to pay me, so my crew and I can carry on.” Vic asked politely. Small talk was nice and all, but he always felt eager to get back to work.

“You’re heading back already? Not going to spend the night?” Vic knew that Gabe was only asking in order to increase his own business.

“No, we really ought to be going. We have a lot of work to do.” Vic explained as he took the small bag of gold coins from Gabe.

“Alright. Well, you best watch out for the sirens, especially if you’re traveling at night. A man came into the inn the other day. He was shipwrecked on a small island just outside of the city. A siren lured him in.” Gabe explained. “His entire ship crashed, everything was ruined. The siren was nowhere to be found on the island. Believe it or not, he swam back here. Made it in one piece too. He lost everything, but he still has his life. Those sirens are deadly.”

“His mind was probably making it up. Sirens are about as real as mermaids.” Vic scoffed. He didn’t have time to listen to some rather dull tale from a man who was looking to coax more money out of him.

“Don’t be so naïve. And don’t come crying to me if one of them catches you, Fuentes.” Gabe explained as he turned to pick up the crates, obviously unable to take them all at once. “Safe travels, Victor. I’ll see you next month for my next shipment.”

“Of course, Mr. Barham. Have a nice day.” Vic mumbled, though it sounded very obvious that it was forced. He walked back over to the ship where the crew was lounging around. 

“Come on, we’re heading back home.”

“Now?” Jaime was the first to complain, as always. “Can’t we stay here for the night. I’m so tired.” He complained vocally.

“No, we have to head back. We have a few days off once we are back in Veracruz. You can sleep then.” Vic was not one for complaining while on his ship. He was rather no nonsense. Perhaps that was because he always wanted to be the best, to have the success that his father had been unable to harness. He didn’t want to lose the respect of his crew because of how demanding he was and how high his standards were, but he also did not want to lose the respect and trust of his crew because of how much he was pushing them. They all did get up from resting though and prepared to remove the ship from the dock. Within a few minutes, they were right back on course, heading for Veracruz. Vic examined the crew, noting how exhausted everyone seemed. He let out a sigh before he approached Mike who was currently navigating.

“I want you and the others to go and take a dinner break. I’ll navigate.” He instructed his brother. Mike glanced over to Vic, snapping out of his daze to register what his brother had just said.

“Are you sure?” Mike asked the other. Vic simply nodded in response and gently guided the other away from the wheel. He gripped onto it and looked back at Mike.

“Go on, go and tell the others. Go relax. You deserve it.” Vic told the other with a small smile on his face. Mike smiled back at him and disappeared, though not before giving Vic a grateful thanks before he went to go and tell the others. They all went down to the cabin, leaving Vic on the deck by himself. Vic let out a sigh. He’d eat later, he wasn’t hungry. He’d rather the crew eat before him anyway. He stared off into the horizon, watching the gentle colors the sky was fading into. Night would fall soon. 

Traveling at night was always rather dangerous. It was harder to see, the winds were unpredictable, pirates tended to prey on naïve sailors at night. Most ships often would remain in whichever city they were currently in for the night. But not Vic, Vic always pushed his crew to travel at night. He would much rather get home sooner than spend money to stay in a dingy inn for the night. He wanted to get home as soon as possible, to check on his elderly mother, to make sure she was well. She was all Vic had in life, her and his brother. He clung onto both of them very tightly, mainly because he feared losing them. Being alone was one of the things that Vic hated more than anything. He was an adult, he was a grown man, he knew that he had no reason to be afraid to be alone. But he was. Perhaps it was because he was not married, nor had he ever had a romantic partner. It was hard for him to find a wife. He always traveled, he wouldn’t be able to be home for his wife or if he were to have any children. His mother had tried to pair him off with some of the nice girls in the city. She also did it in order to assure that her son would stay home and away from the sea that had taken her first husband. It never really worked out for Vic. As lonely as he was, he was too attached to the sea. Even if being at sea was what reminded him of just how lonely he was, and how much he feared solitude. It was a rather rough and strained relationship, but Vic knew that he was not going to abandon the sea for anything, which meant that he would more than likely never find love. He would probably never find beauty and perfection in another, nor would anyone mirror such feelings back at him.

His thought process was deserved by something pleasant. Something beautiful. Beauty never came without a price for Vic. As much as he loved it and loved to admire it, he found himself almost always running into some sort of trouble when he found something beautiful, whether it be the sea, a beautiful city that he was forced to leave, or a beautiful girl that he could not propose too because he would be unable to give her the happy life she deserved. Vic became very way or beauty and all that pertained to it. But what he encountered was so unique, so perfect.

As he admired the sky, he could have sworn he heard a voice. A beautiful voice. Someone was singing. He had never heard something so beautiful. He had always been a lover of music. Often when he was alone while the crew was asleep, he would sing to keep his spirits up as well as to fight his loneliness. Hi mother had always told him that he had such a nice voice, and that he would have been an amazing performer. If only she had heard the voice that Vic just heard. That voice put his to shame in so many ways. He looked around, trying to pinpoint just where it was coming from. The voice was high, it sounded almost angelic. He couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but it still sounded so pleasing to his ears. As the ship continued to move closer, he was able to make out the start of words. He tried to pick up an entire sentence or an entire lyric. 

_I'll close my eyes and dream of days when I wasn't all alone..._

Vic was certain he heard that. He knew he was able to make out that much. If Vic was not mistaken, it certainly sounded like she was singing to him. Vic felt as though she was trying to tell him something through the song. From across the vast sea, he felt as though this voice was reaching out to him for help. He was not sure how he knew that she was speaking to him, or if he was perhaps making the whole thing up, but something from within him was telling him that. He managed to convince himself that was the case. He tried to make out any further lyrics of her song, though it was becoming harder. The waves and wind pushed the ships onward; her voice was becoming more and more distant to him. Her voice eventually faded into a dull whisper, leaving Vic alone. Like she had been telling him. She was alone, she was dreaming of days when she was with someone. And now Vic was alone, in the middle of the sea while his crew was down in the cabin eating. He clutched onto his stomach as he felt pain from within. His solitude and loneliness was attacking him hard tonight after encountering her song. Vic suddenly felt horrible for leaving that voice alone. His mind didn’t even register that it was a siren trying to lure him in. He wasn’t even sure if that had been reality or not. All that mattered to him was how beautiful that voice had sounded, and how horrible he felt for not turning around to help her. As well as the fact that she had played at something that Vic was very sensitive to, that being his own loneliness. She was gone though, he was alone. Night had fallen and they were on the way back. Vic gripped onto the wheel and glanced over his shoulder. He felt tempted to turn the ship around, he felt tempted to go back and look for that lonely girl. As he glanced over his shoulder, the fog of night blocked any sights from behind. He was forced to turn around and look to the clear horizon that the ship was currently facing. The time had passed, she was gone, he was returning home. Normally he would be excited to return home for a few days off, to spend some time relaxing with his family and the crew. But his mind was elsewhere, lost in what could have been. He rested against the wheel, feeling very tempted to shut his eyes and fall asleep. Dreaming was always the best escape from a harsh reality. And maybe then he would feel less lonely. Because even though he could hear the voices of his crew just beneath him, he suddenly felt incredibly lonely.


	2. Chapter 2

“Victor, eat more, you’re getting too skinny.”

Vic sighed as he heard his mother chastise him for being too skinny. Even though he was an adult, his mother still made him feel like such a child. Vic never argued, nor did he ever put up a fuss, he loved his mother too much for that. He knew he caused her so much stress and contributed much to her aging with his lifestyle as a sailor. Because of his mother’s constant worrying, Vic made sure that they never traveled too far, which was why they were primarily based in Mexico. 

Vic watched the large portion suddenly get dropped on his plate. He stared at for a moment, poking it with his fork. He resembled a child that stubbornly did not want to eat dinner. He just didn’t feel very hungry. He watched his crew mates eating eagerly. Jaime had already had thirds and was extending his plate for fourths. Vic’s mother loved Jaime because of his large appetite, and gladly gave the other fourths. She shot Vic a quick glance that more or less said ‘I want that plate cleared right now, Victor’, and Vic finally picked up his fork to eat more. He normally would be scarfing down all he could with Jaime. They did not get food like this while at sea. But his mind was elsewhere. Even though his body was on land at home, his mind was still at sea. His mind was still fixated on the voice, the cry for help that he had left out. Vic thought about this girl often. He thought about what she might look like, what she was doing on the island, or what she was doing at the very moment. He wondered if she was stranded wherever she was. If she was starving, and near death. Vic suddenly felt like a murderer, even though he didn’t truly know if she was dead or not. He just couldn’t get her off his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

“Vic?” Vic jumped a bit as he snapped back to reality as he heard his name. He looked over to see the crew looking at him expectantly. Someone must have asked him a question.

“Uh…yes?” Vic asked again as he picked up his fork again and took a mouthful of his rice.

“When did you want to head back out there?” Mike asked him as he cut more of his meat. Vic recognized the look that his mother was giving him, it was one that he had known all too well. Basically, he knew that she would ring his neck if he suggested going out after dinner.

“Tomorrow at noon. So rest up guys.” Vic said as he smiled upon seeing the reactions of his crew mates, knowing that simple statement more or less made his crewmates rejoice. Vic hardly ever agreed to stake days off. And as much as he wanted to get back out there and see if he would hear the voice of that girl again, he did not dare mess with his mother. She was a force that was more deadly than the sea, than pirates, than any siren could ever hope to be. Both Vic and Mike knew that all too well.

After everyone finished eating, Vic opted to be the one to help clear the table off. Jaime explained that he wanted to catch up with some of his friends, while Tony and Mike opted to just head right upstairs and go to bed. Vic cleaned up his mother’s dishes and carefully put them away. He looked out the window and into the starry night’s sky. While fatigue was overwhelming him, he felt very drawn to the idea of going outside, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the attachment to his home city that he never truly lost that was compelling him and pressing him forward. The others were already fast asleep and Jaime was still out, so Vic just walked out without telling anyone that he was leaving. He didn’t expect anyone to worry about him. The city, while flourishing as of late, was still fairly small and tight-knit. It still had the similarity of a small town, where everyone knew everyone. Port cities tended to be like that, whereas mainland cities were much larger and held a much larger population. It wasn’t as dangerous there, whereas port cities were much more liable to mother nature, through her frequent storms as well as her deadly hurricanes. A port city was often not an ideal permanent living location, but Vic would always regard it as his home, even if his heart did belong to the sea.

Vic walked out of his home and shut the door quietly, so as not to disturb anyone that was asleep. He put on a hat on his way out, in an effort to conceal himself a bit. Having grown up in the city, /everyone/ definitely knew him, and definitely remembered him as well. As much as Vic respected his elders, he certainly was not in the mood to have to deal with everyone recalling how little he once was, as well as how cute he and his brother had been when they were children. The novelty died down fast, and Vic heard it every time he came in the city for an extended amount of time. He noticed the night life was fairly strong tonight. Several sailors were drunk in the taverns, running around and singing songs merrily. He looked into one tavern and saw Jaime, sitting with some of his friends and enjoying what looked to be a beer. Vic always warned his crew not to get drunk before they would travel, but Jaime never listened. Vic shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t his problem if the younger had a hangover in the morning. He walked right past the tavern and away from the horrid drunken singing that he had unfortunately grown accustomed to.

His stroll took him away from the center of the city and more toward the docks. It was much quieter by the docks, all he could truly hear was the crashing of the waves, a sound that had soothed him since he was a baby. He sat on the dock for a moment, looking down at his reflection in the ocean. He looked to see the nearly full moon reflected into the ocean as well. It was truly a beautiful sight, and Vic felt himself be taken in by his own peaceful serenity. It was all too tempting to just fall asleep on this dock right here, right near his precious sea. He felt his eyes start to shut and he felt his head touch the post of the dock. The fatigue began to overwhelm more than it had before.

“ _I will fall asleep…_ ” Vic heard someone singing in the distance. It was a man’s voice, so he dismissed it as a drunk sailor despite the clear skill the singer had. “ _I’ll close my eyes and dream of days when I wasn’t all alone._ ” Vic’s eyes shot open as he heard that line. He immediately recognized it to be the song that he had heard from the girl while he was out at sea. But this was a man singing. And Vic was certain that the voice he heard earlier had belonged to a girl. It was much too high to be a man’s, and too skilled to be a boy’s voice.

“ _All that I know is gone…All that I know is gone._ ” Vic rose to his feet and followed the sound of the voice. He moved very quickly and along the docks, the voice was becoming closer. It was dark out and he could barely make anything out, but he was drawn in by the song as he had been earlier. “ _Fall deeper and deeper, the sirens are singing your songs_.”

He nearly walked past the voice. It was becoming weaker which caused him to turn around in confusion. Finally he saw a hand poking out from the side. He knelt down and looked under a dock to see a man seemingly working on the dock. He appeared to be tying rope around it to reinforce it. The waves kept crashing into his legs and the small ladder that he had brought in order to reach under the dock, but he just kept on singing his song, carrying on into the next verse before he returned to the familiar chorus.

“ _All that I know is gone…all that I know is gone._ ” Vic debated saying something. He had to know about this song, at least know something or where it had come from. He was just too tempted. Before the man could begin the next line, Vic chimed in.

“Um, excuse me?” Vic asked in almost a tone of uncertainty. The man ceased his singing all together. Silence fell between the two of them. Vic really wanted to turn and walk away, though he knew that was no longer an option now that he had instigated conversation. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just…I was wondering what song you were singing?”

Vic heard chuckling from under the deck. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was being laughed at. Next thing he knew, the hands were on the deck and the man was hoisting himself up. He was a pale man, with ginger hair. He certainly was not a Mexican native. Vic assumed he was English, or from somewhere around there. The song he was singing was in English after all. Vic’s English was alright, though he only really spoke it when dealing with a few clients. Most of his clients were Spanish, so he commonly spoke Spanish.

“Want to know the song?” The man said in English through an accent that Vic honestly couldn’t decipher. He stood there and looked confused before the other just chuckled and asked him the question again in Spanish. The man spoke better in Spanish than he did in English, perhaps because his accent wasn’t as strong. Vic simply nodded. The dockworker dusted himself off a bit before speaking.

“I used to be a sailor, that was one of the songs that we would sing sometimes. I’m sure you know we sailors like to sing.” The man said with a chuckle. “Bit more of an unpleasant one. That’s one we sung more when we were feeling blue.” Vic seemed a bit disappointed when he found out that it was just a sailor song. He honestly didn’t know what he had been hoping for in the explanation. He offered the man a smile regardless.

“I see. Thank you, sir.” He said as he started to walk away.

“Any reason you’re so curious?” The man called after him, which caused Vic to stop and look back at the red-haired man.

“I just…I overheard someone singing that song earlier, and it led me to be curious.” Vic explained simply.

“Girl’s voice?” The dockworker asked. Vic nodded his head. Suddenly, the man’s expression became a bit more bleak and concerned. Vic didn’t like this very much and it felt very tempting to just walk away.

“Be careful.” The man advised him. “And next time, don’t go chasing songs. It could lead you to trouble.” His tone was a cautionary one. He was warning Vic of something, it seemed, though Vic didn’t appear to care enough to listen. His mind was still so infatuated with the voice that he had heard, he couldn’t possible imagine anything bad coming from it. He decided that the dockworker was just an odd man and this was a part of his eccentricity. Despite more or less being one, Vic had a bit of disdain for sailors. He regarded them to be drunken fools half the time, and assumed that led to this man not being all there in the head. He forced another polite smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He lied. “Thank you for your time, Mister…?”

“Mullins.” The dockworker responded. “Take my word though. /Don’t/ go chasing a pretty voice.” With that last warning, Mister Mullins hopped back down under the dock to resume his repairs of it. Vic thought nothing further of neither the man nor his comment. He headed back home for the night.

 

 

They woke up early the next morning to prepare for the travel. They were to deliver supplies to a wealthy British plantation owner in the Caribbean by the name of Oliver Sykes. They didn’t normally go to the Caribbean, but Mister Sykes was a frequent client for the business, as well as one of their oldest clients. They would be gone for at least a week, if not longer, so they packed a good amount of supplies, as well as the ones that they would be giving to Oliver.

After kissing his mother goodbye and loading up the ship, Vic and the crew were off in no time. They were back and heading toward their next stop. Vic didn’t like when they had to go to the Caribbean. There were many more ships that were constantly traveling in and out of the Caribbean, many large ones coming from Europe, as well as the prominence of pirates in the Caribbean. But much to Vic’s pleasure, the trip to get to the Caribbean had gone very smoothly. They were there right on time and a well-dressed man was standing on the dock, waiting patiently for them. Once the ship was tied to the side, Vic was the one to get off the ship and greet the other. Not Oliver, of course, but a man who worked for him. This was a common occurrence, as they had done business so much. Vic had never actually met Oliver. He was always talking to people who worked for him, or talking to him through letters. He knew next to nothing about the man, other than the fact that he was extremely wealthy.

“Do you have the supplies?” The English man asked him in English. Vic nodded, trying to piece his English together before speaking and making a fool of himself.

“Yes, my crew is preparing it now.” Vic said, pleased by how well that had come out. He cleared his throat again. “The payment amount is the same as last time.”

The man nodded and pulled a small bag out with the proper amount of payment in it. Soon, all of the crates were out and more men that worked for Mister Sykes were there picking them up. 

“Pleasure doing business with you, Mister Fuentes. Mister Sykes will be in contact with you soon regarding the supplies he will need. Safe travels.” With that, the man turned away. Vic liked doing business with Oliver Sykes because of how fast it went. No one tried to make small talk, no one tried to convince them to stay, and the always included a generous tip as well. It made it worth coming all the way out to the Caribbean.

“We came all the way out here for THAT?” Jaime asked loudly and obnoxiously. The newest crew member was no familiar with how important of a client Oliver Sykes was. Tony slapped the other on the shoulder.

“He always gives extra money. Open the bag, Vic, divide it out like last time.” Tony requested as he and Jaime began to prepare the ship to head out again. Vic nodded and he dumped out the large amount of gold coins that Oliver had paid with. He set aside the amount that would be needed for supplies and profit, then the extra that Oliver had included in a separate pile. With that pile, Vic divided the extra money out between the three of them, deciding to not include some for himself. He didn’t really need it, he would rather give it to the crew. Vic was always thinking of the crew. 

“Come take a share.” Vic said as he put the rest back in his bag. As the ship was in motion again, the three men hurried over to the table where Vic had divided it all out, taking their share.

“You’re the best, Vic!” Jaime called out as he eagerly pocketed the gold coins. “I’d trust you with my life.”

“I’ll follow you anywhere.” Tony repeated with a smile.

“He’s alright.” Mike joked with a smirk. Vic turned back at Mike and gave the other a look. 

“Does someone want to go overboard?” Vic asked his brother. He used to always threaten to shove Mike overboard when they would play around on their father’s ship as children. One time he actually did shove Mike off, though the boat had been tied to the dock and he just fell into the water. He knew how to swim, so he was fine, though that didn’t mean Vic didn’t get in trouble. Mike simply dismissed his brother’s comment with an eye roll and he turned away to go and attend to other duties of the ship, as did the other two. Vic smiled as they all went right to work without even needing to be told. He had such a good crew. And he felt so flattered that they trusted him so much. Tony said he would follow him /anywhere/. Vic felt almost undeserving of such a compliment and such praise from such good men. He did feel a bit pressured to live up to such expectations somewhat, but he had not disappointed them yet, minus a bit of whining from Jaime. He couldn’t let them down, he wouldn’t let them down.

 

 

The journey back to Mexico went smooth for the most part, though as they were nearly back home, a storm had come. It was a nasty one, rain poured down and soaked them all. Vic stood at the wheel, constantly trying to redirect the ship away from the directions the wind kept on blowing it in. Jaime and Mike were busy trying to keep the sails up, as the wind kept on pushing them backward, as well as threatening to rip them. They would be ruined if that happened.

“We’re gonna make it!” Vic called out to the crew, in an attempt to keep the morale high. “Don’t forget what you all said to me earlier, you said you would follow me anywhere, no matter what. Follow me, and you’ll be fine!” Vic yelled out over the loudness of the thunder and the storm. It had been some time since they had been caught in a storm, an even longer time since they had been caught in one this badly. Vic supposed they were due, but that did not mean he wanted to be lost in such a storm. He could hardly hear anything over the loud winds and the thunder, hence why he screamed at them. If they kept the ship stable and kept traveling in the same direction, they would be alright. Vic believed in them, he had to be the Captain they needed right now, the Captain that they knew to trust. The pressure of being a good Captain was at its highest right now, and Vic was feeling the strain of it more than ever. Mixed with that and the wind and water hitting his face, it was literally the perfect storm.

Though all of the sudden, in the midst of sheer chaos and hell, euphoria came to Vic. He was not sure how he heard it all, but he heard music. He heard singing. He felt a shiver overtake his entire body. It was not the shiver from the cold rain, it was a shiver of shock. He recognized the voice. It was her, it was the voice from earlier. He ignored the yells of his crew and felt his eyes shut, in an effort to pinpoint onto her voice more. 

_My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,  
There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold…_

Her song was different this time, though still the idea of her sadness was there. She was lonely, she needed a jolly sailor bold. Vic wanted to be that sailor bold. He wanted to be there for her this time, he had let her down this time. He opened his eyes again, looking to see the expressions of his crew all yelling at him, though he could not make out what he was saying. He was listening for the voice. 

_Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be  
Who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea._

He noticed land in the distance. It was a deserted island from what he could tell, but he pinpointed that the voice was coming from there. He didn’t even take notice of the rocky shore along the island, he didn’t care. The girl with the beautiful voice was on that island, waiting for him. Her jolly sailor bold. He completely changed direction from where he was going, heading right for the island. 

_My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,  
There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold._

The ship was moving toward the rocky shore, and it was moving fast. He’d be there soon, he’d save her from her loneliness. He’d be the jolly sailor bold that she needed. Vic felt as though himself and her were the only two people in the world. He looked to the dark island, seeing what seemed to be the silhouette of a person standing before him. Before he could properly make her out though, the ship collided into the rocky shore. That was the last thing that he recalled. He sight of it all breaking, the sight of water from the ocean rushing into the ship. He blacked out after that, his body shut down completely. But in his mind, he dreamt of that voice, that perfect voice.

 

 

Vic felt something touch his face. He felt warmth hit his face, he felt himself pressing into the touch. His eyes were still shut and all was black though he heard it again, so crystal clear before him.  
“My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold.” She sang, she sang so sweetly. A smile came to Vic’s face and he took it in, her sheer perfection. He had to see his beautiful little singer, he had to know what she looked like. He opened his eyes and saw sheer beauty before him. Long black hair, pale skin, a bare body, a man. And he was smiling at him, stroking along his face.

“Are you my jolly sailor bold?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, summer job has been killing my muse for writing.


	3. Chapter 3

“Are you my jolly sailor bold?”

The man before him looked to him expectantly, a look that was practically begging for the answer to be ‘yes’, but it was almost as though he knew the answer was going to be yes. He was speaking in English as well. Vic was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been listening to the singing of a man the whole time. He wasn’t even overly hung up by the fact he had succumb to the wrath of a siren – it was a /man/. And a truly beautiful man as well. Vic knew it sounded foolish, though he truly had not seen such beauty before. He looked to be a foreigner, his skin was incredibly pale. It was uncommon to see such paleness in Mexico. Even when he went to go deliver to English businesses, such as the one owned by Oliver Sykes, the Englishmen that worked for him had naturally become darker due to exposure to the harsher sun in the Caribbean. Oliver himself, from the one time that Vic met the wealthy man, was still quite pale due to his wealth enabling him to stay indoors and hire others to work for him. Though in comparison to the man before him, Mister Sykes looked as though he had a sunkissed tan. Vic was so marveled by just how white the man was.

Much like Vic himself, the man also had longer hair for a man. While Vic would normally pull his back in a neat ponytail or hide it all under a hat, the man’s was unkempt and rampant. Vic could feel his own hair on his shoulders. He assumed that was due to the crash. Wait. They had /crashed/. He abruptly sat up and looked around, not bothering to answer the other’s question. He looked to his surroundings. He could not see the water at the moment, though he could hear it. He looked behind him to see what looked like a small home. It was oddly well-built, and clearly lived in. But still so small, it was more than likely only one room, perhaps two. He saw that he was currently lying in the sand right in front of the small home. He saw the ocean in the distance and the rocky shore. Suddenly Vic remembered the ship and his crew. He was in one piece, and he was obviously fine and taken to safety. But would the rest of the crew be so lucky. He turned to stand up, completely prepared to ignore the beauty before him. But then he felt a hand grab him. He looked down to saw the dark-haired man still sitting, grabbing his hand.

“It’s rude to walk away without asking a question.” The other was speaking in Spanish now. The first question had been in English. While Vic was able to understand what was said, it was naturally easier for him to understand the Spanish. He assumed that was why the other switched his languages. Maybe he had assumed that Vic did not understand what he had said, even though Vic certainly had. Vic looked down at the hand that was holding onto his arm. He hadn’t noticed before, just how curious the arm was. The man’s entire arm was covered in tattoos, something that he had heard to be very common among pirates. He also had on several gold bracelets and other lavish looking jewelry. Where on earth could he have gotten that from?

“I don’t have time for this, I have to find my crew. We need to get out of here.” Vic said as he pulled away from the beautiful man.

“You can look for them, though your search will be pointless.” The man advised as he remained seated in the sand, boredly beginning to examine one of the gold bracelets on his wrist. Vic paled at this. Had the siren killed his entire crew? Why was he spared? Why did the siren take a liking to him? Sirens were killing machines, they only existed to kill sailors for a sick and twisted amusement. Why on earth would the siren spare him, but also kill the entirety of his crew. Vic shook his head and ran past the small place of settlement on the tiny island. His eyes widened at the sight before him. The entire ship, or what was left of it, was in complete ruins. Between the rocky ledge and the storm, there was not a chance of survival. Vic immediately ran toward the ship. He had no idea how much time had passed by since the initial crash. The weather was very fair at the moment. He looked at the location of the sun in the sky and determined it to be the early evening, six o’clock at the latest. He assumed an entire day had passed since the storm and the initial crash. Vic was attempting to be as logical and composed as he could. Though it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so when his memory was so foggy, when he had succumbed to the beauty of a siren, something that he swore to himself he would never do. He loathed sirens, he detested them, he scowled and jeered at sailors who were stupid enough to succumb to their songs. He had become what he hated and that was something he refused to tolerate or accept. His crew, how would they forgive him? They assured him that they would follow him anywhere, and what had he done, he had led them to potential death?

Vic was concerned when he didn’t see anyone else on the tiny island but him. The only thing that relieved him was that he did not see any blood, nor did he see any blood or corpses along the beach. The siren still may have killed them though. He could have killed them and thrown the bodies into the oceans. Or eat them. Did sirens even eat humans or was that solely something that mermaids did? Vic’s mind felt far too frazzled to try to decipher the differences in deadly creatures of the sea. He climbed past the ruins he was in the midst of and back to the sand. The island was very small, he could run around it with ease.

“Jaime! Mike, Tony!” Vic called out. “Guys, where are you guys!?” Vic was worried when no one was calling back to him. Where were they? What on earth had happened? Within ten minutes he had done a full lap around the island and was back to the ruins of the ship. He panted to try and catch his breath, though he was more so trying not to break down sobbing. He was alone. He had no idea what had happened to his crew, he had no way of getting off this island. Why was he even still alive? The captain was supposed to go down with his ship, with his crew. Yet here he was. Very much alive, without any wounds as well. It just didn’t make sense to him. He gripped at his long hair in frustration. His knees gave out and he fell into the sand. He refused to cry, he was a grown man, though it was far too tempting to do so. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he shook his head in frustration. He had to stop. He had to figure this out, he knew that he could.

He heard the sound of jingling behind him. He didn’t bother looking behind him, he knew it was the siren. If it had been one of his crew members, they would be running toward him in sheer excitement and relief. He saw the siren out of the corner of his eye. He watched the other kneel down beside him in the sand. He felt the other’s eyes on him. He didn’t care enough to look to the deadly man beside him.

“I told you that your search would be pointless.” The siren spoke. “Your crew is nowhere to be found.”

“You killed them.” Vic choked out, trying his hardest not to cry. He refused to show weakness in front of the siren. He wouldn’t allow the other to have that sick sense of satisfaction. A dirty, good for nothing siren did not deserve his tears. The siren made no comment on his accusation though. He merely sat beside Vic, though he did remain very close to the other. He felt the other’s bare body pressing into him a bit. Vic shuddered at the touch. As much as he hated it, as inappropriate as it was right now, the touch felt so nice. Vic never really had any true intimacy before. He always claimed to be too busy to date a young girl, despite his mother’s insistence that he needed to settle down and get married. He never imagined the touch of a man would feel so nice though. The siren’s body against his felt more like the body of a woman though. He felt rather narrow curves, as well as the softness on the other’s skin as well. Vic wanted to reach out to touch it. He hated how tempting the siren continued to be, he absolutely hated it.

“What’s your name?” He heard the man asked him. Vic noted how high his voice was. He spoke like a boy. But it was obvious from his male endowment, that he was a man and not a boy. His face and voice suggested otherwise though. He was so very curious indeed.

“Why does it even matter?” Vic said. He felt so confused, he felt so lost. He truly had no idea what had just happened. He was on his own, he was feeling attraction for a siren, a /male/ siren when he should be concerned with his being stranded on an island with a siren, and the more than likely deaths of his crew members. Of his brother. His little brother was dead and his mind was focusing on the attractiveness of the siren that killed him. Vic was truly a horrible person. And on top of that, he opted to just give in and tell the other his name. “Vic.” He finally stated, though still refused to look at the other. His beauty was far too bewitching, it was dangerous.

“Kellin.” The siren responded simply. Vic felt the other, Kellin, reach out and begin to stroke and adjust some of his hair for him. He knew he should be slapping the other away, but he allowed it. He just remained still, attempting to articulate all of his thoughts. It was a lot to take in, his life was essentially over. And the gentle touch felt somewhat nice, which he again hated himself for liking and allowing. “You never answered my question.” Kellin spoke again as he gently gripped onto Vic’s chin so the other was facing him. “Are you my jolly sailor bold?”

Vic was forced to stare at Kellin now. He had been avoiding making eye contact with the other, because it was far too easy to fall for that face. Kellin looked so innocent. The face of a boy, the physique, the sexual anatomy of a man. It all sounded so odd, so completely different and stark from one and other, but it worked for a deadly combination on Kellin. One that was tempting Vic far too much. The words of the Irish dockworker came back to him: _“Don’t go chasing pretty voices”_. Vic hated his own ignorance so much.

“I…I don’t know.” Vic answered honestly. He wanted to outright say no, he wanted to slap Kellin, he wanted to murder the other for taking the lives of his entire crew. But Kellin’s beauty was deadly. While Vic knew and felt like he wanted to hurt the siren for what he had done, for how he had completely ruined Vic’s life, his everything, he could not bring himself to want to hurt the other. He could not harm or distort something so beautiful. He did force himself to pull away from the touch on his chin though. He looked away from the other, noting the sun was setting. He fixated on that, attempting to avert his gaze away from Kellin completely. But his curiosity tempted him far too much. What was it that Kellin saw in him? Why was he not dead like the rest of him? What did such a beauty want with a humble sailor like him? Why did Kellin want him to be his ‘jolly sailor bold’?

“Why?” He asked bluntly, initially leaving out all other questions. “Why am I still here? Why did you not kill me? You had to have saved me from the storm. I woke up and I was completely fine. Why did you do that?” Vic spoke softly, almost as though he were afraid to ask the other the question. He didn’t know if Kellin had ‘plans’ for him or something. Or was it out of selfishness, did the other just simply like him and want to keep him around? Vic felt his mind racing rapidly, running through every possibility in the short time after he asked the question. His mind stopped as he heard Kellin let out a chuckle. His voice was so high though, it resembled more of a giggle than a chuckle.

“Because I like you, of course. I keep what I like.” Kellin began as he moved a bit closer to the other. “Like these bracelets. I stole them from some pirates that I lured in a few weeks ago.” Vic winced at this. Kellin said all of this so casually, as though this were completely normal for him. This /was/ normal for Kellin, he was a siren. His whole entire life revolved around luring in sailors, pirates, or just anyone with a ship, with his voice. He led them to their death and he would reap the spoils of it all. This was someone’s entire life, someone’s entire existence. Vic had a hard time fathoming just how someone could be like that.

“I collect what I think is pretty, what I like from the ships that I ruin.” Kellin spoke proudly. “I have many jewels, so much gold. It’s all so beautiful.” Vic felt Kellin press into him. The other’s lips were mere inches from his own. “I thought you were just as pretty…so I wanted to keep you.” He spoke. Vic felt the other man’s hot breath on him. His entire body shuddered with sheer ecstasy, with absolute lust overtaking him. He never thought he would feel such passion and yearning for a man. He never felt this way for anyone before. He didn’t think it would ever happen, since he never found himself interested in marrying or looking for intimacy in a young woman. But the lust that was burning within him, the passion that he felt himself developing and craving for Kellin. It was killing him, he wanted to act on it. He felt Kellin snake his tattooed arms around him, he felt the other’s body pressing into him. He felt himself begin to harden up, he also felt Kellin hardening on top of him. He dared to make eye contact with the other, though he kept his hands away from the other’s body. He was scared to touch the other. It was both rooted in a fear of exploring intimacy for someone that he should be loathing, as well as a fear of tainting and ruining something so absolutely beautiful.

“You are so beautiful.” Kellin said softly. “I know true beauty when I see it, my whole life revolves around beauty. Sounding beautiful, looking beautiful, keeping what I deem to be beautiful. And you are so very beautiful. We could be very beautiful together.” Kellin tempted as he reached up to grab at some of Vic’s hair. Vic found himself wanting that. He wanted to be beautiful with Kellin. He hated himself for wanting it even more so. But this man, this man was so bewitching. Vic had dismissed sirens for far too long. They were deadly, but it was not the voice that was the most deadly. It was absolutely everything. It all came together to make something so very horrible. Kellin might have not killed him, but he was still going to be the death of him at this point. Vic’s eyes caught sight of a piece of his ship floating by in the nearby water. His gaze averted back to what was left of his ship in the rocky ledge and he felt most of us his lust and passion leave him. He remembered his anger, he remembered why he was here in the first place. And that anger was enough to give him the willpower to deny the beauty before him. He abruptly shoved Kellin off of him and into the sand. Once the other was off, he rose to his feet and looked down at the other.

“You are the reason I am here in the first place. You might be beautiful, but you are a disgusting, deadly murderer. You killed my entire crew, you destroyed my ship, you destroyed my business, you took everything from me! I don’t even know if I will ever get off this island!” Vic yelled, finally acknowledging just how angry he was and expressing it as well. “This is all your fault! You have taken everything from me! I refuse to let you have me too. I am not going to be another jewel for your treasure box!” Vic started to walk away though he looked back at the other. “I am going to get off this island, I am going to get back to the mainland and I am going to have to tell my mother that her youngest son is dead! I am going to have to rebuild my entire business, I am going to have to restart my entire life! All because of you!”

Kellin did not seem phased in the least bit by this. He remained seated in the sand and just looked to Vic. “That all sounds rather troublesome, don’t you think?” He said as he stretched before he lazily reclined back in the sand. “Why deal with all of that? Why bother having to go through so much nonsense? You can just stay here, forever, with me.” Kellin offered as he looked to Vic. “That sound so much nicer, right?”

Vic scoffed in response to this. “Don’t tempt me.” He said before he started to walk away. Kellin thankfully did not follow him. He started to shift through the remains of his ship, attempting to see if the lifeboat had been recovered so he could leave the island. He did not see it at all, nor the paddle. But he did not see any remains of it though. He sighed and just walked away. He looked back at Kellin though. The other was just lying there, looking out in the sunset. Vic forced himself to walk away, as much as he wanted to feel the touch of the other, to explore the intimacy that he craved so much. As he walked to the opposite side of the small island, he heard the enticing voice that led him here in the first place.

_“They say that love is forever. Your forever is all that I need. Please stay forever with me…”_ Vic knew Kellin was speaking to him through this song, not only singing it due to his own boredom or attempting to draw him over. He sighed. Kellin did have a point: it would be much easier to stay forever with him than have to go home and face all that was caused by the shipwreck. He knew he had to get off the island though. He could not stay here, he had to get out. It was far too tempting and far too dangerous to remain.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from the song of the mermaids in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Will become more relevant later.  
> This will be a multi-chapter story, though not overly long, it should only be about five chapters or so.  
> Sexual content will appear later, I tagged as a warning though.  
> Kellin will formally appear in either the end of chapter 2 or chapter 3.


End file.
